What is Upcycling

As defined by Wikipedia, Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or higher environmental value.  In short, upcycling is where we give more value to old products.

The term upcycling was first used by Reiner Pilz of Pilz GmbH in an 1994 interview by Thorton Kay where he said "recycling, I call it downcycling.  They smash bricks, they smash everything.  What we need is upcycling where old products are given more value not less".  In their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle:  Remaking the Way We Make Things, William  McDonough and Michael Braungart state that the goal of upcycling is to prevent the wasting of potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones.

What is so interesting about upcycling is that it presents us with a challenge to be creative and find a better use for things we already have.  According to WellHome.com it combines elements of design, sustainability, and art.  When practicing upcycling almost everything has a potential use or value.  The challenge is to use our imaginations to create that use or value.

Krewe de' Lights has decided to use empty liquor and wine bottles to create lamps and lighted bottles.  And while we stimulate our creative side with a few drinks to create some of our products, we also collect bottles from friends and local bars and restaurants.

We found that while some empty glass bottles make it to the recycling bin; many do not and they end up in the trash dumpsters.  So we're going "green" and gathering those dumpster bound bottles and turning them into lamps and lights!